Hi shooting numbers are great compared to the average NBA player. The point is that his numbers are poor compared to the all-time greats, which is the echelon everyone is trying to put Kobe into these days (and goes without saying if he is to be compared with MJ). Blitz says this right off the bat in his rant-- that if you look at the top 15 or so all-time scorers, there is only one other guy in there that is as inefficient as Kobe (I think Elvin Hayes? )
Well, the guy seems appalled with Kobe's career percentage from the field (45%) as evidenced by some of his comments. To me, there's little difference between his career percentage from the field and, say, Domique's at 46% or Reggie Miller/Jerry West at 47%. Just to use a couple examples from the top 15 list. I don't know. Maybe it's just me but the relative difference between a career 40% and 45% shooter is staggering, meanwhile the difference between a 45% and 50% shooter isn't quite as important to me. Again: it could just be me, though. All I know is I've seen Kobe finish enough games to not care much about the 45 vs. 50% distinction.
People only use that argument with Kobe because those arguing the other side are often trying to say that Kobe is better than (fill in the blank) because he won these titles. They try to use that as the reason he's the best player in the league today (he isn't), and some even try to use that to justify him being mentioned with MJ (laughable).
In a sample that big, 1-2% is significant. But also Reggie Miller and 'Nique aren't put on the same level as Kobe is, and although Jerry West is deserving and IMO a superior player to Bryant in just about every facet of the game, he too is rated lower by almost every modern fan. And that's part of the problem. Kobe is actually rated worse vs the competition in the "clutch" than he is during most of the game, but the media hype has him as being this closer. This is something readily measured by stats but people seem to treat that like mystic voodoo or something. They'd rather remember the few big shots people hit and not the hundreds of missed ones.
I know there's a massive misconception regarding Kobe's numbers in the clutch. I'm not trying to feed into that, but at the same time there's not a single active player that plays like he does with the type of fearless, whatever-it-takes type attitude. One of the reasons people love the MJ-Kobe comparison so much is Kobe's attitude and demeanor was exactly like MJ's was. He didn't care about being your friend or laughing with the opponent during stoppages of play, he simply wanted to beat you. Kobe is the only major active superstar in this league that plays like that. Sure, he's missed his share of crunchtime shots. At the same time, I want somebody fearless, hungry and proven taking those last couple shots. So again: yeah, he'll miss a few but I've seen him finish enough games (not just making shots - drawing doubles) to not care about a relatively small difference in FG% between he and some of the all-time great scorers he's being compared to.
But that is perception! Don't you see? Kobe spends a lot of time working on his image. I know it isn't genuine because it changes up every year. Like, last year he was all about doing the KG "push my jaw out" gesture to try to look badass but when he realized it made him look like a chode, he stopped. He likes to give the intense stares at the refs, the players, the crowd, everything. If that makes him look fearless, willing to do whatever it takes, so be it. But it has no bearing on the results. How is Kobe more "fearless" than Wade? We have to use numbers for this sort of thing because things like "fearlessness" are subjective and in many ways deliberately misleading. It's just like calling Kobe a "family man" because in every high profile game the camera pans to show his kids in the hallway at halftime. Manufactured tripe...
"Using the numbers" as your deciding factor needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Why? Because then you're stuck with gutless jokers like Rashard, Vince Carter, Arenas, Chris Webber, etc. all taking the final couple shots because statistically they're better shooters than Kobe. Does that sound smart to you? I've already acknowledged your point regarding the misconception of Kobe's extreme prowess in the clutch. That's been discussed at great length in another thread. I'm not trying to harp on that. The point was Kobe is in no way a poor shooter as suggested by the guy in the video and if you want to change the context to him versus the all-time greats, it starts to become a cloudy issue as you try to weigh 1-2% points versus other compelling variables. You're going to end up confusing yourself that way. And to suggest Kobe's looks and attitude is all merely aesthetic (and for show) as opposed to a genuine, I-want-to-win fire inside of him is ridiculous to me. I have a natural disdain for the guy but even I can't deny that this dude is as intense and focused during the 4th quarter as they come.
What makes them gutless jokers if they are statistically better shooters than Kobe? Because they haven't won? If you want to use the argument that Kobe has excellent longevity and rarely sits out games due to injury, I can agree with that. But again, that's something we can measure. The guy in the video acknowledges that Kobe is an all-time great (I think he says top-6 guard, top-17 all-time) right off the bat. The purpose of his rant is to deal with the inflated perception which naturally is about Kobe vs. the other all-time greats. I think Kobe is obviously very competitive but a lot of his antics are quite over the top and phony (which is why they change every year). I don't think facial gestures have anything to do with competitiveness. For instance, Tim Duncan is one of the most competitive guys in the NBA and his facial expression never changes.
http://m.espn.go.com/nba/notebook?id=6203796&pg=4 final 10 seconds of the fourth or OT, tied or down by 1-3 points. Most FGs Made In Clutch*, Past Three Seasons Player / FGs / Kobe Bryant / 10-21 / Dirk Nowitzki / 8-13 / Carmelo Anthony / 8-16 / Rudy Gay / 8-17 / * Clutch defined as the last 10 seconds of a game tied or trailing by three or fewer Most FGs Made In Clutch In 2010-11 Player / FGs / Carmelo Anthony / 4-6 / Rudy Gay / 4-8 / * Six players tied with three makes Most Go-Ahead FGs In Clutch Since 2003-04 Player / FGs / Carmelo Anthony / 15* / Kobe Bryant / 15 / Ray Allen / 11 / Dirk Nowitzki / Col 2 / * 2003-04 Anthony's rookie season
In comparison, James and Wade have combined to take 10 of those 16 potential go-ahead shots for the Heat this season. LeBron is 1-for-7 (10-for-51 lifetime in the regular season) and Wade is 0-for-3 (10-for-52).
We both know there's a point where reality trumps statistics in any sport. If Kobe was just some perpetual failure in crunchtime then why does Phil Jackson continue to run the offense through him and allow him to be so trigger-happy when the game is on-the-line? It's because he knows he has a fearless and proven winner QB'ing his offense. Your argument comes to down to how much emphasis and confidence does one place behind intangibles in the game of basketball. And not that it's a terrible argument, it's happened before and the detractors have some fair points. Not in this case, though. The difference between a Kobe type that plays the way he does, always gives it his all and has the balls to take/miss key shots is night-and-day between the Vince Carter and Chris Webber types that disappear when the game is on the line. Okay, you can dig us some shooting numbers that indicate they're better than people realize but there's a reason those types are always considered underachievers rather than receiving enormous amounts of praise. Kobe has another gear that those "gutless jokers" that I pointed out don't or didn't have. Respectfully, I was working under the impression that point was a give-in. I disagree that they change at all -- his attitude and demeanor are a constant in my book. Regardless, it's a stupid point to argue in the first place. Even Kobe's biggest haters know he's one of the fiercest competitors in the sport.
Reality doesn't trump statistics in an individual sport (like tennis, golf, running, etc) because the stats tell the whole story. In a team sport one player's stats are only a small part of the equation.. which is exactly why using wins/losses to rate players is stupid. I think PJ knows he doesn't have control over Kobe (he's admitted as much in his book) and has to appease him somewhat to get him to contribute. I'm not saying (nor is Bruce Blitz) that Kobe is a negative to the team-- that is idiotic-- just that his contributions are overrated. The whole concept of "closing" is completely arbitrary and really only made up to make the sport more exciting. Some of the worst teams do really well in close games; some of the best don't, and this changes each and every year. It has a lot more to do with luck than it does to "clutch" (whatever that is). But this just isn't true. For instance, Webber was big in game 7 2002 WCF, hitting huge shots in the 4th and in OT. No one remembers that because they lost. The perception that he is a "choker" is largely due to one college game years before that. But had the Kings won that year (as they should have, being shafted in game 6), maybe history would have changed. And obviously that has nothing to do with him. It is just perception. No, he really doesn't. He may be more fit than those guys, able to play more minutes or what-not, but he doesn't have some magical 6th gear to propel him to wins. That would show up in the numbers. Sure, I can concede that. But we don't know how many other players are equally competitive because they aren't promoted and they don't win as much. I don't remember people talking about KG as being the most fiery competitor in the league until he won the title. I'm sure a lot of these guys are super competitive. Unfortunately, they need great teammates to win.
How come no one ever mentions that Kobe had to team up with Shaq/Pau/Bynum in order to win a title? Thats just ridiculous. When he's not with the most dominant center in the history of the game, he has two 7 footers. What the heck did MJ have to work with besides Pippen?
Right, and if you watch the games you see how much these guys bail Kobe out time and time again. He chucked them to a loss in Miami. The moment he got injured in the Dallas game the Lakers pulled away on a run, only to relinquish it when he returned. He chucked again poorly yesterday against Orlando only to be saved by Bynum & Gasol. The guy consistently takes twice as many shots as anyone else on his team despite being one of the lowest percentage shooters (not because he's a bad shooter, but because of his TUURRRIBILE shot selection).
Pippen > Gasol. Grant/Rodman > Ariza/Artest Pippen + Grant/Rodman >> Gasol + Ariza/Artest Bynum 6.3/3.7 2009, 8.6/6.9 2010 playoff ~= Longley What are you trying to prove? Kobe win with less than MJ?
Bynum = Longley? What? You obviously only care about offense, in which case Pippen << Gasol. Also, where's Odom in your little "equation"?
Don't you like stats? Bynum's stats in playoff are comparable to Longley, only worse in 09. And do I really need to go to Kukoc and Harper?
